I am loath to nit-pick regarding the phraseology used by the redoubtable Ian Macwhirter, however nit-pick I must (The Smith reforms are obsolete already, Comment, January 25).
His reference to the UK as a "country" grated, as in my view, the term belongs with that Unionist favourite "the British nation".
His statement that "nationalism has gripped the imagination as never before in Scotland" brings into focus my belief that it is long overdue for distinctions to be drawn between British nationalism and that which currently constitutes Scottish nationalism. British nationalism as personified in the Victorian era and beyond appears to consist of chauvinistic militarism, the glorification of war and sacrifice and a deliberately fostered myth of racial superiority which is, of course, referred to as "pride".
This jingoism was illustrated just prior to the referendum at the launch of a warship, when a gold-braided panjandrum announced that the ridiculously expensive boat gave Britain power and "global authority". This in a land of genuine hardship and foodbanks would suggest that the old "guns before butter" theory is alive and well.
In short, when assessing the relative merits of British nationalism and the nationalism of the Yes campaign, I know which one I feel most comfortable with.
Malcolm Cordell
Broughty Ferry
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